Volkswagen Tiguan practicality and boot space

• Large and flexible loadspace trumps key rivals
• Enormous array of cubbies to hide valuables in
• Will paler interior trims stand the test of time?

A large part of any SUV’s appeal is its practicality and the second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan is no exception in this respect.

Depending on the specification you choose you’ll find an assortment of storage pockets and cubbies from dash-top lidded ones to drawers under the front seats.

It’s not only where you can carry things, but how they’re stowed. Many Tiguans have a front passenger seat which folds completely over to enable longer items to be swallowed with ease. It’s a really useful feature and complements the 40:20:40 split-folding rear-seat arrangement.

That’s not the back seat’s only trick: in a 60:40 split, the seat base slides forwards and back, increasing the Tiguan’s boot volume from 520 litres to 615 litres in the process.

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Those figures outrank the BMW X1 (505 litres), Kia Sportage (503 litres), Nissan Qashqai (430 litres) and Renault Kadjar (472 litres).

Fold the seats over, creating a near-flat load area, and the VW still leads those key rivals: its 1,655-litre capacity trumps the X1 (1,550 litres), Sportage (1,492 litres), Qashqai (1,585 litres) and Kadjar (1,478 litres).

In fact, there’s precious-little we can fault the Tiguan on, practicality-wise, save for how fresh some of the lighter-hued fabric interior trims might remain once they’ve spent a few months running the gauntlet of family life.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating
• Pop-up bonnet for pedestrian protection
• Raft of additional safety gear available

Safety is a key consideration when buying an SUV as a family car and the Volkswagen Tiguan is packed with a wealth of standard features, as well as several optional ones, to maintain the security of its occupants. It received a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2016. 

All Tiguans come complete with seven airbags – including one for the driver’s knee – as well as a raft of electronic safety aids, such as autonomous emergency braking, reducing the likelihood of you having to experience any of them being deployed.

Pedestrians are offered a further degree of protection thanks to active bonnet mounts which lift the body panel up and away from the engine in the event of a frontal collision.

Depending on the specification chosen, additional safety kit will either be standard or optional at extra cost, including a very effective adaptive cruise control system, a head-up display pod which is a paragon of clarity, automatic main beam for the LED headlamps and various alerts for changing lanes without indicating or reversing out into oncoming traffic.